


Conversations on Romance under a Midnight Tree

by formosanaster



Category: Original Work
Genre: Aromantic, Aromantic Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Mentions of Murder, Non-binary character, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Snippet, arophobia, arophobic language, descriptions of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 09:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2343605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/formosanaster/pseuds/formosanaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Elaine the loveless, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind her. Such a lovely appearance, yet hollow and cold within. Ah, the false promise of that beautiful visage.” His face contorted at the last words, and Elaine wondered distantly if he was no longer talking about her after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conversations on Romance under a Midnight Tree

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a snippet which I may or may not continue. I've tried to make it stand on its own, but I'm not sure how successful I am. So you may want to skip this if that bothers you.
> 
> This is my first original work in English, so please be gentle. Constructive criticisms are welcome, and comments would be awesome!

Elaine should have known things would turn out like this. 

The night was still, the moon was high, and here she was, face to face with the murderer that had terrorized the surrounding area in the last few months. She glanced at the host of objects and carved symbols scattered on the ground, indecipherable but vaguely sinister under the shadow of the great tree above them. 

She dearly hoped Ayal was on xir way here right now. 

“Ah, I see you’ve found me.” Harold Godwin grinned at her. He was standing on the edge of the tree’s shadow, and Elaine could just make out the symbols surrounding him. A protective circle that allows him to transmit his power to the main magical formation on the side, while shielding him from attacks and backlash. That was not particularly reassuring. 

Still smiling in that eerie fashion, Godwin leaned down and placed his hands to the ground. Power burst out under his palms and flowed out into the larger formation, augmented by strategically placed magical objects and ingredients. Symbols flared, gradually forming an intricate pattern. Elaine’s heart sank as she recognized its nature. A summoning for one who has passed from the world of the living, and a call to awake and reanimate. Suddenly the multiple cases of theft and attacks in the nearby region made sense, as did a few other things. Behind the circle, the tree began to rustle, branches creaking angrily in the windless air. 

“So this is where you buried Alison Tate, then, after you murdered her.” Elaine said. And now you wanted to force her awake to satisfy whatever desire you have. Elaine felt anger flare inside her, her own weaker power stirring in response. 

For the first time since she met him, Godwin’s façade cracked. “Do not speak of what you don’t know.” “What is there to know, except that you killed her when you could not get what you want?” Elaine retorted. She let her power flowed forward in an unobtrusive thread, swift and quiet like a snake in the grass. It wound itself around a part of the protective circle, and began to eat through it slowly. 

“I loved her－” Godwin said hotly, but Elaine cut him off without mercy.  
“Well, that’s a funny way to show it.” Godwin’s face twisted, and his fingers twitched as though he wished to blast her. “ _You’re_ a fine one to lecture me on that, _Elaine the loveless_.” 

The unexpected words slammed into Elaine like a physical blow, and something must have shown in her face, because Godwin let out a harsh laugh. “Oh yes, we’ve heard that lay, even at this backwater little village. It became quite popular for a while after a minstrel performed it here. Elaine the loveless, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind her. Such a lovely appearance, yet hollow and cold within. Ah, the false promise of that beautiful visage.” His face contorted at the last words, and Elaine wondered distantly if he was no longer talking about her after all. 

“If this is what your wonderful love does, then I will have nothing to do with it, thank you.” She bit out, and _tugged_. The protective circle strained, and snapped, collapsing from the spot where her power had latched on to  
.  
Behind them, the tree came alive. 

The rustling heightened into a deafening roar. And through it, Elaine suddenly thought she could hear bells; small, tinkling ones, such as those braided into the hair of a girl on her way to the village dance. A branch slammed through the remnants of the protective circle, demolishing it and sending Godwin flying. Other branches whipped out, knocking artifacts and plates of ingredients over. Roots sped outward, splitting the very ground on which the symbols are painted. The circle flared, flickered, and then burst into glaring light.

Something heavy slammed into Elaine from the side and knocked her to the ground. The glare lasted for something like an eternity before finally dying down. Behind her came Ayal’s familiar growl. “What do I have to do to make you _duck_ at signs of danger?” But Elaine was already pushing herself to her feet and hurrying towards where Godwin lay on the ground. 

The man was definitely dead. His eyes were wide and vacant, blood oozing out from the corners just as it did from his nose and mouth. There was a hint of burnt hair in the air. Backlash, then. All that power in the interrupted ritual had to go somewhere, after all. And with Godwin as the main source of power, it all rushed back into him naturally. 

“Like a needle in a lightning storm.” Elaine muttered. Her hands shook, and the rawness and pain his words caused thrummed on inside her. Footsteps sounded behind, and Ayal said with uncharacteristic hesitance, “Elly?” 

Elaine gave a twitchy shrug. 

“This is about what he said, isn’t it? That lay your . . . ‘friend’ wrote?” 

“And had a minstrel set to music, yeah.”

“. . . You really should have let me throw him off that bridge.”

“If anyone is doing any throwing, it would be me.” Elaine muttered angrily, then let out a pained laugh. 

“Not that I would have the heart to do it, then or now. He was my _friend_.” 

“ _You_ were his friend.” Ayal pointed out. “What he wanted from you had nothing to do with friendship.” 

Xir words cut like a knife. But it was a clean hurt, temporarily detaching her from the vicious tangle of emotion she felt towards her former friend. Perhaps with time, she would be able to free herself from it once and for all.

Elaine sighed, and let her shoulders slump. Ayal laid one strong hand on the back of her neck, and she felt the last of the strain leaving her. “I am never going to understand this ‘romance’ business, am I?” She muttered as she leaned back against her friend’s hand. “I mean, they talk about it like it is the best part of human nature, and I have seen people whose lives are brighter because of it. And yet there’s . . . _this_.” She waved mutely at Godwin’s body. “Well, I figure it’s less about romance, and more about people being people.” Ayal said simply. “When you get down to it, that kind of love is just a feeling. And feelings don't _do_ anything by itself. What people choose to do with it says more about them as a person than anything else. And I think people can live happily enough without all that hassle. Anyone who has seen you with a book or a kitten would know that.” Elaine let out a wobbly laugh. “I guess you’re right.” 

They went quiet for a while, standing shoulder to shoulder in companionable silence. Then Ayal retrieve xir hand gently. “It’s getting late. We should probably head back.” Xe eyed the dead body with disdain. “And maybe get someone to take care of that tomorrow.” Elaine shook herself mentally, and remembered something. “Wait.” 

She walked into the shade of the huge tree, and stared up at the dark canopy. The branches had gone back to their former state, quiet except for the faintest whisper of leaves. And yet it had come to life with such fury and vengeance during the ritual. Trees did not usually do that. 

Not unless they had harbored the body and maybe spirit of a murdered girl for eleven years. 

Elaine opened her mouth, and closed it. What could she possibly say to her? This girl, cut down in the prime of her life, stolen and hidden away from her family, lost for so many years. And then when the opportunity arose, she took her murderer down, with minimal help. 

Elaine closed her eyes against tears, and took a deep breath. “You did it. You took him down. And he won’t hurt anyone again, ever.” She said to the branches overhead. “And tomorrow? Tomorrow your sister will come to take you home. Your sister and her family – _your_ family. You have a brother-in-law now, and nephews and nieces in plenty. Do you know she lives near the churchyard now, your sister? You will probably be able to see her house from your resting place. And there will be pies on the windowsills, and violets in the garden.” For some reason, the last part seemed especially important.

There was a ponderous silence, and Elaine was half afraid that the girl was already gone. She felt Ayal moving to stand behind her, watchful as always. Then from a branch near her face, a tiny white flower popped out. Elaine startled, then laughed. Tipping her head to the side, she let the soft petal brush against her cheek. “I take it you like the sound of that then.” Elaine informed the canopy cheerfully as an annoyed Ayal dragged her back. “Welcome back, Allison.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also formosanaster on Tumblr, and you're welcome to visit there also!


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